


to look a lot like Christmas

by charleybradburies



Category: Castle
Genre: Because of Reasons, Books, Christmas, Christmas Presents, Community: 1_million_words, Detectives, Dorks in Love, Drabble, F/M, Friendship, I Don't Even Know, Male Friendship, Married Couple, POV Multiple, Private Investigators, Secrets, Surprises, Suspicions, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:05:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5275874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charleybradburies/pseuds/charleybradburies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick has a Christmas surprise for his partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to look a lot like Christmas

She hates being suspicious about him, but she’s a goddamn _cop_ and he’s her _husband_ and he’s acting _suspiciously_. She doesn’t have much of a choice, honestly.

Okay, so stopping by Castle’s private investigation office and momentarily pickpocketing him to get the card info for his business expense credit card was a choice. But again, she was a cop. What exactly was she supposed to do? She couldn’t figure out whatever he was doing simply by doing something equally suspicious like spying or trying to get him to trip over his words and say something self-incriminating. 

Incriminating like transfers from companies rather than people. Castle worked for cops and individuals - not for any corporations, and certainly not for sums like _that._

What on Earth _was_ Castle into now? 

He’d have at least _mentioned_ if a massive, enthralling case had found a place on his desk, right? Unless he was also being paid to keep his mouth shut, too...no, anyone who’d so much as heard of Richard Castle would know better than that. Quiet, secretive, and free of meddling was _entirely_ not his style. (He couldn’t sneak down the stairs of his apartment without getting caught, for God’s sake!)

The 10-minute reminder for her press conference comes up on her phone, and Kate closes out the online banking window on her computer and shuts down, sighing as she slings her coat onto her shoulders.

+

“Hold up. You’re not _actually_ worried she won’t like it, are you?” Espo asks incredulously. Castle’s voice rises in reply.

“Yes, I’m worried she won’t like it! And I mean, what if she’s anxiously awaiting something on a dog-eared page in a catalogue on one of our coffee tables?”

“We _are_ talking about the same Kate Beckett, right? Come on, bro. She’s gonna love it.” He claps Castle’s shoulder, unintentionally moving him as he walks past where Espo’s sitting on the edge of his desk.

“You get the first copy yet?” Ryan asks excitedly, coming back into the bullpen as he’s ending a phone call - with Jenny, no less, if his smile’s any indication - and Castle glances around. (Kate might be in a conference, but that didn’t mean he could just be careless. She was the Captain, after all.) Then he opens his messenger bag and pulls out the cardboard box with the very first stunning hardback copy of _Holly Jolly Heat._

+

_Another book. Another goddamn Nikki Heat book._

Kate bursts out laughing.

Good _God_ , she was an idiot.

“Merry Christmas, Kate.”

+

  
_To the incredible K.B. -_   
_the best of partners,_   
_the greatest of captains,_   
_and the most wondrous of wives:_   
_all my love, always and forever;_   
_and to the world: joy, and justice._   
**-R.C.**   



End file.
